The Global Marijuana Market Will Soon Hit $31.4 Billion But Investors Should Be Cautious

Activists and MPs discuss medical marijuana at a ‘Tea Party’ event opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London on October 10, 2017. (Photo credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)

The international market for cannabis is projected to hit $31.4 billion by 2021, according to a new report from the Brightfield Group, a cannabis market research firm. Currently, the global market is estimated to be worth $7.7 billion and will see a compound annual growth rate of 60 percent as other countries liberalize their marijuana laws.

The U.S. currently drives 90 percent of global cannabis sales, but its share will drop to 57 percent by 2021. That’s in large part thanks to Canada’s plans to legalize recreational marijuana by July 2018. Meanwhile, countries in Latin American and Europe are increasingly adopting medical cannabis programs. And German political parties are considering recreational legalization as part of their talks in forming